Special aspects of assessing hazard to public health while monitoring the negative impact of solid municipal waste landfills

Abstract

The present study considers the negative impact of solid municipal waste landfills on the environment and public health. It also assesses hazard to public health caused by the impact of solid municipal waste landfill emissions (by the example of a solid household landfill in the city of Kursk). We have carried out four interrelated stages of research work during the implementation of public health hazard assessment of the municipal waste landfill under study: hazard identification, assessment of dose-response relationship, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. At each stage, we assessed uncertainties that might affect the completeness and accuracy of final conclusions and recommendations. A particular attention was paid to some specific uncertainties that are due to the peculiarities of waste landfills’ operation. These uncertainties can have a significant impact on the results of the study, especially in terms of emissions’ quantitative composition. Thus, despite the fact that the risk level of the solid municipal waste landfill under study was assessed as low, the authors propose the introduction of a degassing system at the solid municipal waste landfill in Kursk. The application of this system will eliminate the release of biogas into the atmosphere, reduce the load on the air and reliably decrease hazard to public health caused by the impact of the landfill.